Transparency data

Electoral Integrity Programme: accounting officer assessment

Updated 6 March 2024

Background and Context

The Electoral Integrity Programme (EIP) is delivering a number of manifesto and other Ministerial commitments, as part of the Government’s electoral reform agenda. The programme goals are to strengthen the integrity of the electoral system and ensure that elections remain secure, fair, modern and transparent. The programme’s delivery status at the time of this assessment is at the Outline Business Case stage, and the responsibility for delivery lies with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The legal framework for these changes has been set through the Elections Act, which received Royal Assent in April 2022. The programme’s scope is:

• The introduction of the requirement to show photo identification in order to be able to vote, supported by a new Voter Authority Certificate service, providing electors without suitable identification a card to use when attending a polling station;
• The introduction of new requirements relating to the accessibility of voting and polling stations;
• Changes to postal and proxy votes, including the duration of those voting arrangements, the handling and secrecy of postal votes, and enabling online applications;
• Changes to the electoral franchise to allow overseas electors abroad for longer than 15 years the right to vote, and to reflect the fact that the UK has left the EU in future voting and candidacy rights; and
• A range of changes to electoral campaigning rules and sanctions, and to the governance of the Electoral Commission.

The programme has adopted a phased delivery approach, with implementation of some policies ahead of local elections in May 2023, and others for May 2024.

Assessment against the Accounting Officer Standards

Regularity

The Electoral Integrity Programme is assessed as regular as defined in Managing Public Money, as it relies on the law as set out within the Elections Act 2022. The programme required HM Treasury sign off for the use of funds, which was received on 5 September 2022. It is therefore considered regular.

Propriety

The Elections Act 2022 provides the legal authority required to commit to the spending on the programme. The Electoral Integrity Programme spending provides:

• Two new digital services, and major changes to the existing Register to Vote service;
• The required resources to complete the programme activities; and
• New burdens payments to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) who are legally responsible for meeting the new requirements set out in the Elections Act.

Although the new requirements set out in the Elections Act will not commence until relevant secondary legislation passes, the programme requires spend in advance of legal obligations coming into force so that Local Authority elections teams are able to obtain resources needed in advance to prepare for the new additional processes that such deployment will bring.

On this basis the Electoral Integrity Programme is compliant with Parliamentary control procedures and expectations and meets the standards governing the use of public funds.

Value for Money

The Electoral Integrity Programme aims to deliver fraud prevention, increased voter participation and modernisation of the system. The benefits that will be realised will be qualitative, and include:

• Increased participation in the democratic process due to accessibility measures, impacting over 10 million people, and overseas elector enfranchisement, impacting about 2 million people.
• Increased public trust in elections because of decreased fraud and changes to eligibility of EU citizen votes.
• Voters will be more empowered because of increased campaigning transparency.
• Increased efficiency of Electoral Registration services due to the provision of new digital services.

The assessment of spend required to enable successful implementation carries some inherent risk, due to the difficulty of predicting voter behaviour accurately. Given current mitigations in place to address this, it is assessed that this is a justifiable risk. The approach to new burdens funding of local authorities, with funding above a base level subject to justification-led bids, helps ensure that funding is justified while recognising uncertainty around the new service and processes. Overall, it is assessed the business case for the Programme is sound and represents value for money.

Feasibility

The Electoral Integrity Programme has its feasibility for delivery assessed and assured by an established governance model aligned to programme management best practice, including internal programme boards and gated checkpoint processes.

The Programme is also assessed as a major programme in line with the standards outlined by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) and their gateway processes. In addition to the internal measures in place, the programme is reviewed for its feasibility and control by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) and the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA). The programme is controlled via the IPA’s gateway process, and the IPA assesses the programme on a quarterly basis; any concerns are communicated with relevant mitigating actions identified and addressed. Delivery and feasibility will continue to be reviewed at strategic points within the programme’s lifecycle to ensure that the feasibility test continues to be met.

The Programme faces delivery risks on local authority preparedness and voter behaviour. Mitigations in place include reducing the burden on local authorities through automation and modernisation, support of the electoral sector through the changes that it has to deploy, phased implementation of some programme scope.

The assessment in October, taking account of the activities in place, concluded that there is a feasible route to successful implementation. Since then, delivery confidence has strengthened with, among other factors, the successful delivery of the digital system for Voter Authority Certificates.

Conclusion

As the Accounting Officer for the Electoral Integrity Programme, my predecessor Jeremy Pocklington considered this assessment of the Electoral Integrity Programme and approved it in August 2022. I reviewed the assessment on taking up post in February 2023.

I am satisfied the Programme:

• carries out the appropriate level of assurance and governance;
• is regular, proper and managed with consideration to the principles of value for money; and
• is feasible to deliver.

Therefore, I am satisfied that the Programme meets the standards set out in Managing Public Money.

Sarah Healey

27 March 2023